Alex and Aegis
by CubicUnicycle
Summary: It's been a year since Alex has been stranded aboard the USS Aurora. Wanting to leave a message for his rescuers, Alex decides to record his last words on an old camera. But what happens when rescue finally comes not in a big Anaconda, but in the form of a powerful human-sword girl? (Rated M for some violence and swearing)
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Wow, it's been a while since I've opened my profile, let alone post something from it. Apologies for the big hiatus, but I had school and college to think about, which left me no room to write stuff. Also been spending some time polishing my writing skills, and I think I'm very impressed with the difference between the stories I wrote before and this one. I'm also going to try and keep updating this one as it goes along, as all of my other stories have been left incomplete.

Before you start reading this story, though, there are some things you should know about it.

Alex resembles the character on my profile, but with a beard.

The Aurora is a science retrofit of the Farragut Battle Cruiser from Elite Dangerous.

This story is not canon with Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

Anyway, that's pretty much all you need to know before reading. After reading, I recommend leaving feedback in the reviews section, as your opinion helps me improve my writing a lot. And if you don't want to write one, then you should also favorite this story so that you can get notifications when I post a new chapter. Anyway, enough talking around, hope you enjoy the story of Alex and Aegis!

Alex could not sleep. To be honest, he could never sleep much. But today was a 3rd night in a long streak of sleepless nights. Of course, this was not unusual for him. He wasn't used to drifting off in space, the reactor cold like winter and the giant thrusters dead and flaking away like a dead insect. And what made it worse was that he was stuck alone a ship made to house over 9000 personnel. So not only was he stuck aboard a dead spaceship, he was stuck aboard a dead spaceship the size of a city. He had no one to talk to, only thing he could do was look out at the stars and pray to God that someone would find him.

Alex got up from his bed and went to the replicator built into the wall of his office. He punched a code in for a B-2 protein supplement. The machine whined and clicked as the bio-printer began to charge, and in a flash of bright light a steak and a can of beans appeared inside the replicator. Since _the Whiteout_ , Alex had increased his calorie intake in an attempt to stay nourished. The can of beans was there to help him feel full longer, since the fiber was digested slowly. However, the ships generators had almost been emptied of power, which were the only thing driving the replicators and the large comms sphere that kept beaming out out his pre-recorded cry for help. However, no one had responded to his repetitive cries. And now, it appeared that Alex may no longer be getting the only thing that kept him going.

Alex took his meal from the replicator and looked at his desk. He didn't want to eat in his office. Right now, it looked like the room of a house recently abandoned, covered in dust and small cobwebs, but other than that, no sign of wear. And he didn't feel like cleaning up. He had too many thoughts switching back and forth in his head. It was like a 6-function relay that hadn't been wired properly. Alex decided to take a walk to the observatory and look at the stars. If being lost in space had any benefit, it was that he could eat while looking at the stars, without the noise of the other scientists who would be studying the stars at this point in the day.

Alex avoided taking the elevator that connected all the floors of the Aurora together. He didn't want to waste any of the remaining precious electricity than he already had. Instead, he took the service stairs that wound around the elevator shaft like a snake sleeping upright on a branch. The red emergency lights kept flickering throughout the dark stairway, and twice Alex almost tripped and dropped his dinner. Cursing under his breath, Alex reached the level of the Observatory.

As he entered the Observatory, he caught a glimpse of himself in one of the computer screens that were at the base of the massive glass dome. He still wore his white coat, as it was designed to be practically bulletproof. And he still had the poorly cared-for beard that looked like it was made of twigs rather than hair. Alex wasn't used to having a beard, especially since he was always used to having a clean shaven face that had no indication of any hair follicle ever existing. But he couldn't waste the generators power using his electric razor. He needed every spark of power operating the comms sphere and the replicator that gave him food.

Alex sat down at the center console with his 3D printed cutlery and began to cut his steak. The plastic knife creaked and strained through the steak and for a moment it looked like it would almost break. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he had cut the steak into evenly shaped cubes, and he began to eat while looking at the large stars that were above him. He wondered if any other astronaut had been further than he had, had gotten a chance to see the giant, multicolored nebulas of gas and dust that looked like clouds. He wondered if any science cruiser had been so far as to see up close the giant gas planets that swirled with the colors of coffee and milk. And he wondered if any astronaut had been in his situation before, being lost in the farthest corners of the Milky Way. Alex kept hoping that someone would come round the corner of that space cloud, round that ball of expresso with a empty ship willing to help. The human race never left any corner of the galaxy unturned. No matter where you were, someone was always there. So why had no one found him?

As Alex picked at his last piece of steak a dreaded thought entered his mind. He had been trying to push it out of his mind for a long time now, like that annoying friend at work who would not shut up about the latest cryptocurrency or the latest celebrity scandal. Like a playground bully trying to get an insult through your head no matter how much you ignored him. It kept nagging at him, and it didn't seem to go away. However, he knew what the thought might be true. He couldn't avoid it. No matter how much he denied himself, it always came out the same.

"Dear God." Alex whispered to himself and he laid back in his chair and looked up at the stars. The computer that gave him the news was smart. It never lied and it never made mistakes. It had told him that all oxygen and life support systems would run out in a week, and when Alex had done his own calculations to confirm the computer's conclusions, he discovered that what the computer said was truth, not fiction. That meant he only had one week for someone to find the Aurora, for someone to hear his pre-recorded cries for help. And considering that he had been adrift the ship for almost an entire year, he was starting to doubt that anyone would find him. If no-one had found him since _The Whiteout_ , then there was a good chance that nobody would.

As Alex was looking up at the stars he noticed something on the console opposite to him. A camera. Not like the wired ones throughout the ship that he had disconnected long ago to save power, but rather a camera that looked like something you would take on an outdoor trip, with a rugged, honeycomb-like casing and a flip-screen that was slightly scratched and dusty. Alex got up from his chair and walked to the opposite console, where he inspected the camera. The clear, water-like lenses were smooth and did not shown any sign of cracking. Aside from the small scratches and dents, the flip-screen seemed to be in perfect working condition. After looking over the camera, Alex pressed a silver red button on the side of the camera. The screen flashed a crude cave-drawing of a man holding a clear orb of glass in his hand, and the name "PomTom" appeared below it. The camera then transitioned the logo into a live image of the observatory, although it was a bit grainy and at points the image fogged up. He looked at the top-right corner of the screen and saw that it had 3 hours of battery remaining.

Alex looked up at the stars once more and gave a loud sigh. The camera gave him some sort of relief from his impending doom. He always thought he would never have a chance to record his last words. That he would drift away without ever getting the last word. But as he held the camera in his hands, he felt a sense of relaxation and a slight spark of happiness. The camera meant that, in a way, he would continue to live on. That he would continue to exist not in the sense of being alive, but rather in the sense of people remembering him. It also meant that he might be able to say his final goodbye to his son, who he hadn't seen ever since he boarded the Aurora, to his mother who he hadn't seen since his 22 birthday. For Alex, the camera meant he could finally get some closure with his coming fate, that he could finally have someone to talk to, even if that someone wouldn't see him for many years.

Alex left the console with his camera, completely forgetting the unopened can of beans that he had left behind. He didn't care about his meal anymore. All he cared about was going to a comfortable spot and recording his final words.

Alex decided to march all the way up to the helm of the Aurora and record himself there. That way, he felt that he would look professional, and he wouldn't look so much like a crazy person on account of his appearance. In a shred of hope that everything was going to be alright. he wanted to look good for the people that were going to watch him, like he still had some Eventually Alex reached the top of the stairwell, where he was met with a large steel door, which had the words "HELM-KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING" painted in red, and a small round scanner the size of a shirt button attached to the side of it. He chuckled when he read the big red words, which almost glared at you the way a general would glare at a misbehaving recruit. Funny. The words were protecting the discretion of no one. Alex placed his thumb on the scanner, and he felt the warm heat of it going over his skin, analyzing the different sections of skin that made up his thumb, plotting every bump and crack between the ridges on his thumb. After a moment, the scanner lit green and made a happy chime, and the door groaned and revealed the helm.

The helm of the Aurora was the largest command center on the ship. Wires hung from the ceiling in loops and ties, and some had been cut by Alex when he had "renovated" the ship after discovering that the reactor was dead. Each side of the massive door was flanked by two massive consoles that stretched a quarter of the room. In front of the consoles there was a large temperfoam chair that was flanked by two other chairs, each with their own glass-framed monitor. On each of the two big consoles there were massive arrays of buttons and switches that looked like they belonged in a recording studio rather than the helm of a spaceship. Hanging over each console was a series of holographic projector spheres that on better days would have displayed statistics about the ship stability, resource consumption, and crew status. But none of these consoles worked now, as Alex had also cut these consoles off when trying to manage the power situation. After all, with the thrusters completely fried, the Aurora clearly didn't need the extra power to move itself.

Alex walked past the consoles towards the big chair that sat in front of the large glass panel that made up all of the front wall of the helm. Alex quickly discovered the camera's "float-shot" and switched it on. As he positioned the camera a few feet from the big chair, he noticed that the camera did not so much as flinch when the float-shot software took over, like it was attached to some invisible tripod. After setting himself comfortably in the captains chair and double checking that he did not have any stains on his shirt, he took a deep breath and looked into the camera.

"To anyone who may be watching me right now….."

Alex shuddered. He did not think that doing this would make him so uneasy. Nevertheless he continued.

"If you are watching this, then there is a good chance I'm dead. Right now, given how much electricity is left in the generators right now, I've got a week to live until the life support on this derelict runs dry, and I've got even shorter than that until I run out of food and water,. So, since I'm pretty sure I'm going to die out here, I figured it's best if I record a little something for people to remember me by. That is, if people ever do find me."

"My name's Alexander Hawkins. However, my friends know me as Alex or "Ax". I'm the chief biologist aboard the USS Aurora. Last year, I think July, an unexplained cosmic phenomenon called _The Whiteout_ struck our ship. I was unable to see what caused the event, since all I saw was a bright flash of light. What I do know, however, is that everyone had disappeared within seconds. Everyone, except me."

"For the first few months, I'll be honest, I thought it was a prank. That everyone would show up and yell out "Surprise!" and give me a big hug, cake and all. But once I saw how the neglect on the ship was taking it's toll, I realized that what I was experiencing was real, not fake. I immediately began to find ways to keep the ship in good condition. But at that point the reactor was completely dead, and the only power I could use was inside the generators. Not enough to power the thrusters, but enough to power all life support systems onboard."

"So that's where I've been this past year. I'd write all this also on some paper, with a neat signature, but I figured you might want to hear this from me face to face. I've been trying to work out ways to power the thrusters, but with the reactor completely dead I can barely bring it to a spark. I've also been trying to chalk up an explanation as to the cause of _The Whiteout_ , but every theory I come up with just turns into a dead end. I've also been working on a small garden, with a lot of xeno-life growing in it, but I assume you don't want to hear about that. I also assume you don't want to hear my theory on how to grow potatoes out of my own sh-."

As Alex was talking, he kept being interrupted by a small glow in the distance. He kept thinking that it may be a small plasma flare, caused by particles of space gas statically charged by the giant glass panel. But as the glow slowly got brighter, he began to see it more clearly. Alex got up to confirm what he was seeing.

"My God"

Amongst the small glow he could make out a strange shape. It continued to float closer to the panel."

"Oh my God."

As it continued to get closer, the shape managed to become clearer. Alex began to breathe more heavily.

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my god."

Alex dashed out of the helm, almost knocking down the camera on his way through the door. He knew exactly what was out there.

"Oh my god, oh my god, there's someone out there there's someone floating out there Oh my God someone finally found me Oh my God."


	2. Chapter 2

Alex and Aegis

Chapter 2

Alex almost tripped down the stairs while on his way to the airlock. He was still in shock after what he had seen outside the glass panel in the helm. Understandable, since he had not seen a single human being in over a year and a half. And yet, on the day that he had decided to accept his fate and record his last words, god had decided to send someone. Someone that may be able to help him before the week was over. Or at least, someone that may be able to give him some comfort. But he also knew that he didn't have much time, as the person could be almost out of air from their own suits. And from what Alex had seen from the window in the helm, it was clear that the person was unconscious. At least, that's what he was hoping.

Alex ran into the changing room and jumped into a stall. The space suits aboard the Aurora were state-of-the-art, capable of delivering oxygen to the user for a total of 8 days. The suits were protected by a series of steel hexagonal plates, which were reinforced by a steel mesh similar to that found in cleaning wool. The helmet had also been given the same treatment, with its own plates being the strongest part of the entire suit. Its holographic display took information like material composition and biometric stats from the suit's onboard computer and then projected it onto the crystal visor, which were designed to be almost bulletproof. But Alex realized that he had never taken his time to maintain and repair the suits. Most of the suits aboard the ship were badly maintained and some of the plates on the suits had even begun to rust. Not to mention that the hydrogen thrusters were in dire need of a repair. Alex cursed himself for not being taking the time to repair the suits in all of his time on the ship. The first time he came across life in almost two years, and now he had to deal with scuffed equipment.

With his suit on, Alex switched on the computer via the green button on his wrist. The suit gave a happy chime in response, and the words "Welcome, Alexander Hawkins" flashed on his screen. Shortly after that, the helmet flashed blue, and Alex's biometric stats and composition of the air appeared before him. Alex, who had been almost jumping with anxiety, hopped into the airlock and closed the heavy bulkhead doors. The room then turned red, as alarms began to signal that depressurization had begun. The hiss that followed the alarms sounded like an angry snake, ready to strike a man with a retractable noose. After a while, the hissing stopped, and Alex began to feel the weightlessness of space lift him from the airlock. The bulkhead in front of him then began to spark and groan as the interlocking parts and motors began to force the door open. For a moment Alex thought that the bulkhead would not open enough for him to pass and that he would have to go back inside and grab a welder. But after a while the bulkhead opened to reveal the vast expanse of space.

Alex kicked the thrusters on the feet of his suit, and they crackled and hissed in response. The small hydrogen boosters had barely enough power to carry him towards the person in front of the ship, and Alex was unsure if they would be able to carry him to the person. Pushing the uncomfortable thought of losing control of himself in space, Alex wandered outside and headed down the bow of the Aurora. It was only then that Alex realized how long he had been adrift in space. The ship looked so beaten down from all the asteroids and meteors that had hit it that there were considerably large dents in the hull, and one meteor was lodged near the upper-front part of the ship. The large ion thrusters in the back and front of the ship had not been spared either. One thruster in the back had a large section of its cone missing, while another thruster in the front looked completely crushed closed. How a thruster could even be that broken was beyond Alex, as he then realized that even if he was able to get the reactor online, the ship would probably explode due to all the thrust being backed up into the engine.

As Alex headed out towards the front of the ship, his HUD noticed the person he had seen in the helm in front of him. This was good news for him, as the suits computer could only recognize people that still showed signs of life. This confused Alex as he made his way to the person, as the average human was said to survive only 1 minute in space without the proper equipment needed. So why was this one still alive? To Alex, this almost seemed inhuman. The only explanation that he could think of was that the person had been in space for shorter than that. And if he was right in this theory, This may mean that there could be a ship nearby, which Alex could scrap for oxygen tanks so that he could breathe. With this in mind, Alex headed to the person. He wasn't very far, just only a mile away. But he then remembered not to exhaust the thrusters due to their bad condition, so he let the speed he had already gained had carry him.

As Alex approached the person, he realized that the person also appeared to be a woman. She had short red hair that had a slight feel of pink to them, as well as a gold band going around her head with an emerald in the center of it. She wore a leotard with shorts the same color as her hair, with straps going down at her sides, as well as tights that went up to her thighs. She also had armored pieces of gold on various parts of her body, as well as two tails of cloth going past her sides. She also featured a pulsating crystal that seemed to be the source of the glowing light that Alex had seen from the helm. "A strange choice of clothing. Was she on a party barge or something? Nobody would be that stupid to warp this deep into open space."

With the girl in hand, Alex headed back towards the Aurora. For a moment he thought of taking the airlock on the other side of the ship, since he was skeptical that the bulkhead he had just been through would not be able to open a second time. But if he were to take the other airlock, he would have to take a longer path to enter the ship. And since he didn't know how much oxygen the girl had left in her lungs, he didn't want to risk the change, even if that meant it would take 5 more minutes of his time. He also didn't care if the new guest in the Aurora would take away his time to live. If he could grab additional oxygen tanks from the supposedly abandoned ship, then that wouldn't matter.

Alex approached the bulkhead and pressed a button on his wrist to open it. Nothing seemed to happen. Alex then pressed the button again while holding down the red emergency button next to it. The door began to groan and squeak before opening slightly, but it was not enough for him and the girl to pass through. So in frustration, Alex booted the door with his foot. Surprisingly, the large door fully opened with no problems. Pleased with himself, he entered the airlock and closed the bulkhead, which gave one final spark in protest.

Alex walked through the ship back towards the observatory, since he was still shaking from the adrenaline rush that he had just experienced an hour ago, and his body was in dire need of some rest. But Alex had the feeling that he would not be able to rest. Not after the discovery he had just made. Not only had he finally found someone outside in space, he had found someone who had survived the deep freeze of space. And this also meant that there might be another ship nearby with additional resources that he could use to extend his final days on the ship. Maybe he could even grab some plasma cores to power up the reactor, so he could at least use the power from that instead of the onboard batteries for a while. If he could get a hold of those resources, he would be able to sustain both himself and his new guest, who he had decided to place in the infirmary to recover.

Alex changed his course from the observatory to the comms station that was currently two floors above him. The computers inside the observatory were alright to use, but they were made for scientific purposes. The equipment there was made for looking at stars, not searching for lost ships. Only the comms station had that kind of equipment, as well as working radios that he could use to contact any lost ship that might come up on the radar. Alex just hoped that his "renovation" of the ship had not disabled any of those computers or equipment. If that was the case, then he would not be able to find that lost ship. That is, if there was any ship to begin with.

He managed to work his way up the darkened stairwell and managed to find the door leading to the comms station. The door was similar to that found in the helm, except instead of the bright red words that were on the helm there was a large sign that said "COMMUNICATION ATTEMPTS IN PROGRESS! KEEP SILENT AND TURN OFF ALL RADIO-BASED EQUIPMENT." In response, Alex turned off his personal locator, as well as the wireless intercom that was inside his pocket. Unlike the sign that he had seen before he had entered the helm, he couldn't ignore the sign that was in front of him currently. The comms station was designed to block out any electronic interference that was outside the ship, and any outside electronics communicating from inside it would decalibrate the equipment and Alex would have to spend the better part of his afternoon getting them back on track. With all electronics turned off, he pressed his finger on the scanner at the door's side, and it hissed open.

The comms station was completely colored in red from the overhead lights that were above the many computers and radars that were above him, which glowed a bright green and at times beeped or clicked as they processed the area around them. In the center of the room, a glass meeting room with a table in the center glowed green, as the radar inside the table awaited input from whoever would come forward. The whole room looked very similar to what the interior of a submarine would look like if it was underwater, with the red lights, as well as the light coming from the consoles, being the only source of light in the room. This was done so that the officers who would work in the comms station would not be able to notice any distraction happening in the room, allowing them to focus on their work.

Alex entered the large glass room in the center of the station. The radar was what Alex needed the most right now. Like most of the equipment onboard the Aurora, it's radar was a powerful tool , capable of finding ships that were as far as 8000 light years away, which would all be pinned on the holographic table. An officer would then take down the galactic latitude of a ship, and he would adjust the settings of his radio to increase the range needed to communicate with it. This is exactly what Alex was going to do in his quest to find the girl's missing ship. He would scan the area around the Aurora for any possible ships, and once he found what he was looking for he would write down its location and use the radios to send a message on all frequencies. If everything worked out, he would be able to find a ship nearby, and the he would take the fast exploration pod there, where he could begin salvaging resources.

Alex pushed all of the papers and charts off the table and tapped on it twice. The table woke up and displayed a list of options for Alex, which included the option to scan of the area, to scan a specific part of the ship, and to send an emergency broadcast to any ships within range. Alex first decided to check up on his guest in the infirmary. The screen showed the girl's bed as bright red, and indicated her life signs and the composition of the air inside the infirmary. Pleased that his guest was doing fine, Alex then proceeded to do a scan of the entire area. However, the radar showed no ships. Alex tried to scan again, with the same results. Alex then tried to increase the range of the radar, but it had already been pushed to the max. Frustrated, Alex decided to perform a deep-environmental scan of the entire 8000 light years that the radar could reach. If there any error in the computer, or if the scanners simply didn't have enough power, a deep-sector scan would fix it, no doubt about it. However, the scan once again came out empty, and the table stayed blank, devoid of any sign of life that might be out there.

" _Fuck!_ " Alex shouted at he slammed his fist down onto the table. The holographic radar fizzled and cracked, and for a moment it looked like it may shut down completely. After finally coming across the only sign of life in the entire galaxy, he was once met again with the realization that he may die on this derelict. On this scrap of metal that once used to be a place of proud scientists and officers, but was now nothing more than a grave. The only reason Alex had brought the girl onto the ship was because he had hoped that she would be able to provide him with something that he could at least use to live for a little longer. But now, it occurred to him that he may have just quickened the deadline of his own death.

"Keep it together, Ax…." Alex said as he leaned over the table, which still showed no sign of life. "You gotta….you gotta keep it together. There could still be someone out there. The radar is a powerful machine, right? So it needs lots of power to run. And I don't exactly have a whole lot of that with me. Best thing to do is to keep the electricity for the broadcast and for the replicators. But right now, let's see how much longer I have to live, now that I have my guest on board."

Alex flipped out of the table's radar and brought up a list of the ship's statistics. After coming across a list of resources to look at, he pressed the button labeled "Oxygen", which showed him the current oxygen level in the ship's atmosphere. But instead of seeing a shortened amount of time, the computer still showed the same result: 1 week of oxygen. "Impossible. It can't still be one week. It has to be less than that. People need to breathe in order to live, right? So it's probably just an error with the mainframe. Just need to go down there and probably recalibrate the scanners. After that, I'll go check on my guest, see how she's holding up. She may be breathing my air, but she's still a survivor."

But as Alex got up and prepared to head out, he was startled to find that the girl was standing in the doorway of the station, staring at him with big eyes that almost seemed to glow in the dark station.


	3. Chapter 3

Alex and Aegis

Chapter 3

Alex was still a little surprised from the lady who had entered the comms station. He had determined that she was unconscious, and that she would need at least 6 hours to recover from her exposure in the cold void of space. But the lady had woken up far earlier that Alex had predicted she would. And what's more is that she had opened the door of the comms station without using any credentials of her own. How she was able to do this was beyond Alex. All he could do was stand awkwardly at the first sign of human life that he had encountered in almost a year and a half.

"How…When… I thought…" Alex stuttered as he tried to find the first words to say to his new companion. The lady looked a little worried by his confusion, and she walked closer to Alex, probably hoping to set his bearings straight.

"Are you alright?" She asked as she stared at Alex. "I…could ask you the same thing, lady. I don't know how long you've been in space, but you shouldn't have survived at least a minute out there. Hell, I'm surprised you can still speak." Alex responded as he adjusted his glasses, which were still smudged from fingers worn out from weeks of studying.

"I'm feeling quite alright, mister. I was just wandering through this maze of a building and I heard someone screaming up here. I'm pretty sure you can understand my worry."

"And I'm sure you managed to find a keycard for this place as well. Almost half of the places on this ship require credentials, and you don't seem to have that at all, and I'm sure you didn't just find a keycard just lying around somewhere. Trust me, I've been here for quite a while now. I'm sure I would've noticed one by now."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause trouble." The lady responded as she looked down and shuffled her feet, like a schoolgirl who was just caught stealing candy from the teacher's desk.

"Oh, no no." Alex reassured her. "No trouble at all. I'm… just a little confused, that's all. I mean, it's the only time I've seen a person in 2 years, so you need to give me a little time to straighten myself." This seemed to cheer up the lady, and she looked up at him with a tired smile and dreamy eyes, like a small child who had just been pulled out of bed by her parents. Alex decided that the best way to help her recover from her time in the void would be a visit to the break room.

"You seem a little tired. It's understandable, since recovering from a vegetative state puts a strain on the body. How about getting you a power meal?"

The lady looked up at Alex and nodded with a particular glow in her eyes. It was the same glow he had seen at the helm, when he had been recording his final words. Surprising to think that on the day he would accept his fate he would encounter someone in the void of nothingness, who was still miraculously alive.

As the two headed downstairs from the comms station and to the observatory, the lady constantly stopped to look at her surroundings, like a kid who was visiting a theme park for the first time. Alex had to constantly stop and wait for her to catch up. Clearly, she had never been on a capital-class ship before. But then again, no simple civilian would be allowed on such an important figurehead of galactic power. Only people who had been directly approved by the Federation or the Empire could be allowed on a capital ship. The only view civilians got of a ship like the Aurora were through the Galnet, where verified reporters offered "virtual tours" of capital ships through telepresence. But even that was nothing compared to actually being on the ship.

Alex and the lady entered the observatory and approached the center area, where Alex had left his meal before heading up to the helm. He didn't feel comfortable eating the can of leftover beans, which were now covered in a thin film of dust and had started to smell like an animal carcass in a summer heat. So he picked up the can and threw it down the nearest incinerator, where it turned into a fireworks show of embers and bits of steel.

As Alex turned around he noticed the lady fiddling with the knobs on a large griddle, which was placed behind a lunch counter with peeling paint. In 4 quick strides, Alex rushed down to the counter and yanked the griddle from it's socket.

"H-Hey!" the lady jumped in surprised at Alex's reaction. "I was just going to warm up some tea!"

"Sorry about that, but this ship only has so much electricity to work with. And I need to save as much as I can. Which means no wasting it on luxuries that I don't need. Like heated food or beverages."

"Oh… sorry about that." The lady said as she looked down, a look of disappointment on her face. It was then that Alex realized that the lady did not know of his predicament, how he had only a week to live, and how at that point the both of them would die, meaning that Alex had essentially saved her to death. The thought made Alex tremble. He was not expecting his first encounter with life to be so troublesome.

"Mister, are you alright?" The lady tapped on his arm, snapping Alex out of his thoughts and back to reality. "I'm…fine. Look, you said you wanted tea, right? The replicators have a lot of that stuff loaded in their memory banks. It might be a little cold, because of the low power, but you'll still have your tea."

The lady curled her nose slightly, like she had just been tricked into biting a lemon. Clearly, the thought of drinking cold tea was not something that made her feel comfortable. In fact, she seemed quite repulsed by it. But she looked up and nodded her head in approval. Alex smiled and walked over to a replicator built next to the counter. "Chamomile, please!" The lady responded, with a smile of a child about to receive an award for a spelling bee. Alex nodded and typed in the code for a "therapeutic-type plant based beverage". With a bright flash, the replicator created a clear, plastic packet of powdered tea alongside a disposable drinking cup. Alex took out the powder and cup and placed it on the peeling counter next to him. As he punched the code for a heated bottle of water, the lady went next to him and stared at the packet with a look of confusion.

"Ummm… this isn't what I asked for, mister." The lady said. Alex turned to face her, now with a look of confusion as well.

"What do you mean? It's exactly what you asked for. Chamomile tea, right?

"Yes, but this is just a packet filled with weird…green stuff."

"Yeah, that's Chamomile. Exactly like you requested."

"But…this doesn't look like tea at all! It just looks like…dust."

"Well, it's still tea, you know." Alex said as he took out a bottle of fresh water from the replicator, which felt like it had been only partially heated. "It's just been processed so that it's easier to store and prepare. Instant tea, basically."

"Ugh. I don't like the sound of that." The lady said as she curled her nose again, this time with a bit more disgust in her eyes.

"Trust me" Alex reassured her as he began pouring the lukewarm water into the cup. "I've had this many times before. And it tastes exactly like the real thing."

The lady twiddled her thumbs, a look of hesitation on her face, as if she was about to go skiing for the first time. As Alex mixed the powder into the cup, he noticed the glowing gem attached to her chest. For a moment, Alex thought that it was a mixed-material gem made out of diamond and meta-alloys. But as he carried the cup of tea to the center of the observatory, he slowly began to doubt this. For every time he looked at the gem, he felt a short of calmness come over him. Which was not at all what he was supposed to be feeling, given that his life was coming to a close faster than expected. Alex knew this wasn't some sort of coincidence, but up to this point, he had always dismissed it as joy, coming from finding the lady in the void of space. Alive. This was also a topic that battered Alex's mind as he sat down with the lady. What if she hadn't been in space for less than a minute? How could she still be alive? And how had she gotten into space with no ship whatsoever? To Alex, the whole situation seemed…unhuman.

"Unhuman…" Alex muttered to himself as he turned to the lady. Looking down, he was surprised to see that she had drank all of the tea in one sitting.

"The tea here is very nice." The lady responded with a smile.

"Heh, what did I tell you? Tastes just like the real thing, right?"

"Yes, it definitely does. Could I have another cup?"

"Maybe later. I have to give the replicator some time to cool down first. It's not like these replicators are in pristine condition anymore, you know."

"Why's that?" The lady asked.

Alex turned his chair towards the lady and leaned forward slightly, a serious look now on his face, as if he was about to give a lecture to a teenage son.

"You really don't know what happened here, don't you?"

"No, I…I don't."

"Look around you, lady. Just take a good look around you."

The lady swiveled her chair and looked around the observatory, taking note of the peeling paint and the dusty floors that made up the now decrepit observatory. To the lady, the whole place looked more like a decrepit Praetorium church than an observatory.

"Now, lady, I want you to guess something. Where are all the people? Where do you think they are?"

The lady looked down at the floor, thinking hard about the question. After some time she swiveled back with a smile on her face, as if she had just come to some sort of realization to a hard thought problem.

"Ah, I know! They must all be in their quarters, resting after a long day's wo-"

"You're wrong, lady." Alex interrupted as he leaned back in his chair and waved his hands around the room. "Don't you see? This whole ship has no people. No crew to manage her and no captain to pilot her. And there hasn't been anybody like that for two years. Just me."

Alex now got up from his chair, a frown growing on his face and a burning anger growing in his heart, like a wildfire set loose across a forest.

"And you wanna know why? Because one day God decided "Hey, you know what? I'm gonna get rid of everyone on this goddamn ship except this guy!" And once he did that, once made every single living creature in this place vanish, he simply watched as that one guy desperately tried to keep this ship together, all the while he sends out a pathetic cry for help into what is essentially a goddamn void at this point! And once he managed to rearrange every single wire and repair every single console as best he could, he still found himself drifting along the edge of the galaxy, with no viable fuel, low batteries, a broken reactor, and this _dusty fucking ball of glass!_ "

The lady jumped up from her seat, frightened by Alex's sudden change in attitude.

"Mister, you're having a fi-"

"And you wanna know something else?" Alex now turned towards the lady, his anger now directed at her. "Eventually he finds someone out there just drifting in space, who at this point is probably half dead. So he jumps into a rusty EVA suit, flies out there looking like a complete idiot, and then comes back, hoping that she at least has some other ship which I can get resources from. But does she? Oh no, apparently her ship was so goddamn scuffed that it just broke down into nothing and left me with another person breathing my air! You wanna know something, lady? This is _my_ air to breathe! Not yours! So why don't you just jump out of an airlock, _and give me back my goddamn air!_ "

The lady gasped at Alex's insult, and all of a sudden tears sprung to her eyes, and she covered her mouth in horror. Alex, now realizing the gravity of what he had just said, tried his best to stutter out an apology, the words coming out like a confused 6th grader.

"Shit. Lady, listen I'm- Oh fuck I can't believe I said that… Lady, I- Jesus, I-"

But there was nothing that Alex could do, as the lady dashed out of the observatory, trying her best to stifle her sobbing. For a moment, Alex thought it would be best to follow her and try to apologize again to her. But it then occurred to him that he should give the lady some space, especially after what he had just blurted out. Now Alex sat alone in the observatory, just as he had done every day since The Whiteout. Soon, Alex was overcome with loneliness again. The same loneliness that had plagued him every day for two years. Alex folded his arms on the table and rested his head down as he began to remember his life before The Whiteout., when he had friends. He remembered running experiments on brain trees in the biology lab with his colleagues, the same trees that were now beginning to take on the smell of death. He remembered playing holographic ping-pong with that one scientist he had a crush on, though now he could not seem to recall her name. And he remembered observing the test mice in their miniature test chambers, as they scurried around solving interesting little puzzles while he curiously took notes with the colleagues that he considered his only friends.

"God, why couldn't you at least spare those mice?" Alex groaned in despair.

Alex shuffled his feet as he walked out of the observatory. It was the walk of a man who had just lost everything in life, like a man who had just thrown away his life and dreams for something simple and cheap. Alex did not know what to say to the lady once he found her. He was positive that whatever he tried to say to her, she would brush off and ignore. But he didn't want to leave her in the state in which she had left. He couldn't let his days end knowing that he had told a young lady to jump out of an airlock, causing her to leave in a tearful breakdown. He wanted to at least get that weight off his shoulders, so that he and the lady could rest easier.

Alex found the door leading to the infirmary. He pressed his finger onto the scanner and the door silently hissed open. As Alex entered the pale, white room, he spotted the lady lying down on a bed, her back turned towards him. Alex uneasily walked towards the bed, words spinning around in his head like a frantic attempt to solve a puzzle, trying to see which words fit and which ones didn't in a quick amount of time.

Alex found a chair and slowly sat himself down behind the lady. She did not even acknowledge him as he sat with her. She just stood completely silent and unmoving. Thinking that she was probably sleeping, Alex gently tapped her shoulder to get her attention. Nothing. Alex then tapped her shoulder again. The lady drew her shoulder away from him in response, and Alex felt a cold fist grip his heart. Alex shuddered for a moment, unnerved by the painful feeling in his chest. After a moment to shake himself together, Alex tried to speak.

"Uhh…Lady? You…you feeling a bit better?"

The Lady said nothing in return. She didn't even nod or shake her head towards him.

"Uh…listen, I…. I'm sorry for what I said, I really am. Really I'm….I'm not like that. Not at all.

Still nothing.

"It's just that…. that I've been alone on this ship for a very long time. And it's been a while since I've seen even a human face. And I guess that's kind of taken a toll on me, y'know? But trust me, I'm…very happy that you're here. Really, there's nothing better than having a person on this ship to talk to.

Silence.

"Look, I know things aren't looking very bright right now. Trust me, I've looked at the readouts. I know how long we've got to live. But hopefully, just hopefully, in the very little time we've got left, someone's gonna come for us, and we'll all be on our way home.

"Nobody will find us." The lady quietly interjected. Alex, surprised by this response, peaked his head up at her, trying to comprehend what she had said.

"Of-of course someone will find us!" Alex said in a shaky tone, fear starting to crack in his voice. "This ship has the best state-of-the-art communications bay of any ship out there. Someone has to find our emergency beacon eventually, right?"

"We're in the fringes of the galaxy with nothing but stars and dark void everywhere. Nobody is even around to hear your beacon."

Alex put his face in his hands, the anxiety coming back to him. "Lady, I'm-I'm really trying my best here. We just need to be optimistic. Someone will come."

"Yes" The lady responded, this time in a calmer, more soothing tone. "Yes, someone will come." The lady then turned on her side to face Alex, a serious look on her face. "But not like this."

"I…I don't see how anyone else will find us." Alex responded. "Unless you have a way to boost the range on the comms array, in which case, go right ahead."

The lady looked at Alex, a calm smile coming across her face. She sat up in her bed, and in response Alex slowly stood up, a glimmer of hope coming both their eyes.

"Actually." The lady said "I do have another way."

"You do?" Alex responded, a smile coming across his own face. "Well? What is it?"

The lady looked down at the crystal glowing on her chest, touching it with her hand. Alex looked down at the crystal and noticed that it seemed to be glowing slightly stronger than before.

"That isn't a normal piece of jewelry, is it?" Alex asked.

"Not at all." The lady replied "This is my core crystal. It's the very thing that drive my life force forward. And it's the only object, too. But, using its powers, I can project a powerful signal across the entire galaxy. And I can guarantee you, someone will come for us."

Alex looked at the lady, puzzled by the terms that she was using. "Core crystal? What are you, some sort of synthetic android?"

"No." The lady replied. "I am the Aegis, a Blade from the land of Ely-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Alex interrupted. "You're not making any sense here. Are you an android, or some sort of alien?"

The lady thought to herself, then looked back up at Alex "It appears you aren't very familiar with my kind, are you?"

"Yeah, that seems to be the case."

"Listen." The lady said "I have but one request before I send out the signal. That's all I ask."

"Ok. What is it?" Alex asked intently.

"Alex, before I can send out the signal, I need you to bond with me. Half of my life force will be given to you, and I will keep the rest of it. As a result, you will be given the role as my driver, as my companion through this galaxy. In short, we will both be one."

Alex looked down, trying to make sense of what he was hearing. He had heard of Guardian technology doing weird things to people, but this seemed a little ridiculous to him. However, after thinking about it for a while, Alex looked back up, a look of determination in his eyes.

"I literally have no idea what you just said, lady. But if this is the once chance we have to get out of here, then go right ahead."

The lady smiled "Excellent. Now Alex, touch my crystal."

Alex looked at the crystal, a little unnerved seeing as how he would be getting very close to her bosom, which for him felt very awkward. But then he lifted his smudged hand and gently touched the crystal. The lady closed her eyes and a green wave of light flew from the crystal. Outside the Aurora, the light flew out in all directions, flying across the galaxy and reaching every single star system known to man.

The Lady then looked down at Alex and smiled again. After a few silent moments, a sound could be heard that made Alex jump in excitement: the sound of a ship exiting witch-space and an engine being boosted.

"Oh my god… oh my god oh my god OHMYGOD OHMYGOD!" Alex jumped in excitement and unfathomable joy. "IT WORKED! I'M GOING HOME!" Alex embraced the lady in a giant hug, and the lady giggled in response. "Come on, lady!" Alex said as he grabbed her hand and began to drag her towards the hanger.

Alex and the lady entered the hanger and began to look for the lever to bring the platform up. Like the observatory, the hanger was mostly covered in dust and seemed to be in a general disrepair. However, Alex was sure that, unlike the airlock, that the docking platform would be able to raise itself up to the exterior of the Aurora, allowing his rescuers to dock. Eventually Alex found the control panel for the platform. The platform screeched and moaned like the airlock, but slowly and surly began to make its way towards the exterior of the Aurora.

"Heh, this could take a while." Alex said with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah. I guess… we wait?" said the lady.

"You know, it's funny. I spend two years on this ship trying to call for help, and the day help comes the docking platform doesn't work." Alex said giggling. The lady giggled with him in response, understanding the irony behind this moment. At this point the platform had strained itself up the to outside of the Aurora, and the sound of the docking clamps making contact with the ship could be heard.

"You know, after all this time I never even bothered to ask you your name." Alex said.

"You never asked me." Responded the lady. "But it's Pyra."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Pyra. I'm Alex." Alex responded as the docking platform dragged the ship into the hanger. To his surprise, the ship was a small Sidewinder, stripped of its paint and its hull chipped in many different places. Alex grabbed an extendable ladder that had been lying next to him and raced towards the rear end of the ship, with Pyra slowly bringing up the rear. Alex then attached the top of the ladder to the lip of the ships outer airlock and began to climb up. When he reached to top of the ladder, the airlock opened up and Alex could see the glimpse of a man.

"That you so much for coming this far for us, sir! I swear to you, when we get to the nearest station, I'm going to give you every single credit in my bank acco-"

And then he realized that the man was pointing a gun at him.

 ***Makes a big stretch, cracking several tendons in the arms and back* Well, that was one hell of a way to finish the chapter, now wasn't it? This is honestly the longest I've ever written a chapter, and it was the hardest I've had to edit as well. I know how you guys don't like it when I upload chapters months apart, but it's kind of hard nowadays to keep a consistent flow of writing, especially since it's the end of the year for me and I'm trying to get into a good 4 year college. But I do try to make an effort to put in as much work as I can when making these stories and writing new chapters.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this new chapter in my latest story. If you like it, give it a favorite and follow it so that you can get notified when the next chapter hits. Also, feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think of this** story **. I'm still a bit rusty in terms of writing, so I'm always looking for other ways to improve.**

 **Cya :)**

 **-Cubic**


	4. Chapter 4

Alex and Aegis

Chapter 4

Alex woke up to three things; hazy vision, bound wrists, and a headache that would make any onionhead go insane. Typical for people that had been pistol whipped while precariously balancing on a ladder. Alex curled his face into a frown as he tried to clear the haze from his mind. He silently cursed himself for not being careful enough when welcoming the newcomers who, instead of being rescuers, the sidewinder that had come and picked him just so happened to be a couple of low-lives looking for a stray to ransom off. And they would probably kill him anyway, like how most kidnappers these days did it. He wished he had been smart enough to remember Pyra's remark about her signal being galaxy-wide, that he had at least taken into account that whoever came to the rescue might be just about anybody, and that he should be prepared to at least deal with a minor altercation. That way, he and Pyra would not be stuck in this situation to begin with.

Alex took a moment to look around and observe his surroundings. Like most sidewinders these days, there was a dusty kitchen area at the far left of the room with a flickering lightbulb dangling from the ceiling. There was no stove in the kitchen. Instead there was a microwave that looked like it hadn't been used since 2018. The whole unit was a dark grey, and the window fitted into the door of the microwave had been cracked, as if someone had thrown a rubber ball at it with little success. The marble countertop that separated the kitchen from the living room was covered in yellow stains and had several chips missing from it's corners, as if someone had taken a knife and chipped away at the countertop to relieve some sort of stress or boredom. In the middle of the room, the living room was fitted with a magnetic steel table and magnetic cutlery, as well as several dented steel bowls that looked like they belonged in a gulag. The only source of entertainment in the whole ship seemed to be a felt dartboard hanging on the farthest wall in front of him. Almost all of the darts had hit the red spot in the center of the target, with one dart being stuck into the rear of another dart in the board. The sight of this sent a shiver down Alex's spine. He was pretty good when playing darts with his friends, but nowhere close to whoever piloted this ship.

Alex then turned around on his side to find Pyra lying closely next to him, unconscious and with a small patch of bleedy red right above her left eyelid. She too, had been bound, but instead of primitive zip-ties like his own bindings, she had been bound using two glowing discs that seemed to be magnetically stuck together. Alex groggily got up and lifted Pyra up from under her arms and decided to look around for the red control box where he could activate the ship's distress beacon. But before he could even take a step forward, he heard the whine of a thermal pistol charging up behind him.

"Heh. Wasn't expecting you to wake up this early, kiddo." The voice behind Alex spoke in a demanding tone, like a military officer giving orders to. As if he had just made a funny quip and was patiently waiting for someone to laugh. "Now, why don't you just lay our friend down and relax, eh? We've got a lot of time till we get you to Delaine."

Alex shuddered. He knew exactly who his captor was referring to. Anyone who took so much as a glance at the Galnet these days would know that Archeon Delaine would be the last space bandit you would want to run into. His legendary Kumo Crew was as deadly as the legends would tell you, and they were well known for ruining entire colonies who failed to so much as pay tribute to them. Many had challenged Delaine for his title in the form of armed combat, and each time Delaine had accepted and defeated them, even going so far as to strangle his opponent with his own razor whip. These days, anyone who challenged Delaine for his title would immediately be called out as a madman, and an undertaker would be quick to write a death certificate, well before the fight even began.

Yes, Archeon Delaine was just as fearsome as people would expect you to believe.

Alex slowly lay Pyra onto the ground, then turned slowly to face his captor, who had taken a few steps back and de-charged his pistol. The man in front of Alex had red painted cybernetic arms that gleamed even in the dull lighting of the Sidewinder, and on each of the joints of his fingers were worn down cubes of metal that to Alex, seemed to be a more primitive form of brass knuckles. His captor had dark hair that shot out like spikes in different directions, as well as brown piercing eyes and a bulky muscular build that made him look as if he could take down 4 Rottweilers all at once. He wore a black leather jacket with a black shirt underneath, as well as black boots with 5 silver buckles going down the front of each boot. On the back of his jacket, the easily recognizable spider-skull of the Kumo Crew was stitched into the leather.

The captor moved towards the microwave and pulled out a box of Delacy brand space ramen from underneath the countertop, as well as a bottle of purified water. As the captor poured water into the box of ramen, he began to address Alex. "You know, kid, I've been looking for that girl for a long ass time. Do you know how much money I've wasted trying to find her? I nearly broke this damn ship trying to interdict a data cruiser. Not to mention that I'm on the wanted list across 50 different systems." The captor then chuckled as he placed the ramen into the microwave. "But hey, I guess that's in the job description, eh? Especially when Delaine signs your checks."

"Look" Alex said, raising his hands as to reason with his captor. "I don't know how much Delaine is paying you, but let me assure that I can pay you much more."

"You?" His captor muttered, then paused for a moment, as if he was actually thinking about Alex's suggestion. Then he let out another chuckle, this one a little louder than the last. "Please. Like, I know that you science nerds get paid good and all. But let me assure you, no amount of money from your pathetic, Imperial-owned payment plan is going to top what Delaine has on that girl."

"Then why the hell do you need me?" Alex demanded. "So I'm just extra baggage, right? What use other than my money does Delaine need me for?"

"Simple." replied his captor as he approached Alex, his boots making an audible thud and he walked across the stained steel floor. "When I saw you climbing onto this ship, it only took me just one glance at you to figure out that you are a scientist. So I figured if I brought in a big brain like yours, I might get a bit of a bonus. Hell, Delaine is always looking for big nerds like you to cook up narcotics or bombs or anything else to further his business."

"And her?" Alex questioned, nodding his head towards Pyra laid, still unconscious "What about her? What use could Delaine have for a mere child?"

"Really?" the captor said as the microwave made an audible _beep_. "Is that what you think she is? Come on, don't try and derail me by saying I just have an _ordinary_ girl in my living space." He walked towards the countertop and took out his ramen. He then removed a plastic spoon from underneath the countertop and began to stir it slowly, as if he was stirring a cup of tea. "I want you to look at that kid and tell me one thing about her that is ordinary. Can you think of even one thing? I thought not. She is the farthest thing that you will even come to ordinary. Even you knew that she wasn't ordinary the minute she sent out that signal to every known ship in the galaxy. Do you even _know_ what she was used for?"

The captor came closer now to Alex, his sheer height towering over him and causing Alex to almost shrink beneath him. The captor spoke more quietly now, brimming on the borders of a whisper and a low, demanding voice. "She was used to decimate entire civilizations. Entire worlds, gone with the blink of an eye. Yeah, that's right, that innocent girl you see was used as the most powerful weapon of her time. And she's wasn't the only one, you know. There are others just like her, used for the exact same purpose. But she?" the captor looked down at Pyra and gave a small smile "She was the most powerful weapon of them all."

Alex shook his head in disbelief. He refused to believe for even a minute that this man was telling a truth. No scientific algorithm, report, or journal would ever back up what his captor was speaking. Yes, the girl did exhibit some strange powers indeed, but none of what he had seen so far had the ability, or the strength, to do what this man was telling him.

Then, the automated voice of the ship's COVAS came over the Sidewinder's intercoms. "Final Witchspace Jump Complete. 116,476 ly away from target destination." COVAS said in the synthetic yet assertive voice of the ARCHER esona. The captor turned his head slightly upward and smirked. "Nice job on the autopilot, Archie. Send a line to Delaine and tell him that I have his product here, as well as a little something extra for him. Oh, and I'll take over from here, by the way"

"Understood. Switching off autopilot."

A steel hatch leading upstairs to the helm opened with a soft hiss. As the captor made his way up the hatch, he stopped and turned in Alex's direction. "Now listen here, nerd-boy. I don't want any trouble from you, or your friend. If I find an excuse to come down here and fix your behavior, trust me, I'll take it." With that said, he continued his way up to the helm, the hatch closing behind him with an almost dreadful thud.

Alex shook his head, clearing the disbelief from his head. He didn't have time to worry about who this girl was. He could easily ask these questions later, when he got himself out of these damn bindings. Pyra's bindings looked simple to break, the rings around her wrists looked like they were being held together through some hard magnetic force. The only way to separate these two rings, concluded Alex, was to find a diamagnetic material, like silver, and push them between the attached rings, causing them to be forced apart due to the absent magnetic field of the silver. However, Alex quickly realized that finding silver would be difficult, as most of the ship was made out of rolled steel plating. However, Alex decided that he could instead use the copper from the microwave's control panel, which he was sure, would have just enough copper to get the job done.

Alex quietly walked over to the microwave and carefully inspected it, looking for an access port of some kind. It was no use; the whole unit seemed to be encased in one whole chassis. Alex then opened a drawer underneath the countertop, hoping to find some sort of toolkit that he could use to try and open the control panel. That was also hopeless, as the drawer was only filled with large kitchen knives and other cutlery. In heavy desperation, Alex grabbed the largest knife he could find, jammed it into the side of the control panel, and with all his strength pushed down on the handle of the knife, causing the control panel to slowly peel away from the casing and the knife to shake with tension. Finally, the panel flew off the casing and into the ceiling, causing a loud smack and clattering back down onto the countertop. Knowing that his captor had noticed the sound, Alex ran to a dark corner closest to the hatch, and leveled the knife above his head, his arm taut like a bowstring, waiting for his captor to drop down from the helm.

Nothing came. No hatch opened. No punches or slashes were delivered. The room remained silent as always. Breathing a large sigh of relief, Alex brought down his attacking arm, which now felt worn out and burned from being so tense. Once he had regained his composure, Alex quietly walked to the countertop and picked up the control panel, which now had a long crack going across its manila covered screen.

As he walked towards Pyra, she began to slowly wake up from her drug-laced coma, frowning slightly as she felt the aftershock of the drugs hit her like a mallet. Alex noticed this and motioned to assist her.

"Whu-What happened?" Pyra moaned while clutching her head in one hand.

"Pirate lords." Alex replied. "Belonging to Archeon Delaine. For some reason, they think you're a superweapon of some kind (which I think is total bullshit) and they just want me to cook their onion. From what's happened so far, we should be right outside Delaine's headquarters."

"What!?" Pyra gasped, now fully alert.

"Don't worry, Pyra. I managed to rip this control panel from the microwave." Alex motioned to the control panel in his hand. "With this, I should be able to separate these cuffs you have."

Pyra, shaking with anxiety and fear, tried her best to put a straight face. "O-Ok. But what do I need to do?"

"Simple. Just keep your hands steady, and try to keep the cuffs in one position so I don't slip." Alex positioned the board above the crevice between the two cuffs, ready to force it through. "You ready?"

Pyra nodded. With that, Alex began to push the board inbetween the cuffs, his hands shaking with tension as he felt the magnetic cuffs resist the diamagnetic field of the copper circuitry. However, the control panel slipped out of his hand and fell to the ground. Exasperated and sweating slightly, Alex picked up the board and tried to force the control panel again. Once again, it slipped from his clammy hands and fell to the ground.

"This might not have enough copper than I thought." Alex thought to himself. However, refusing to give up, Alex confidently picked up the board, and with all of his remaining energy, began to force the board inbetween the cuffs. Slowly but surely, he could see the connection between the cuffs slowly beginning to break.

"I-It's It's working! Just…keep it there, Pyra!" Alex exclaimed as the magnetic connection slowly began to dissipate, the control panel already halfway through. Alex now began to feel the adrenaline and excitement flood his body as he witnessed the light of his escape opening wider. And wider. And-

"Alex WATCH OU-"

Almost immediately a searing pain flashed across Alex's back, his vision blurring and a scream of pain erupting from his vocal cords. Alex dropped the panel and clutched his back, which now felt warm with blood. Before him, his captor towered above, holding a lead pipe in his hand.

"What. Did I say?" The captor muttered, venom dripping from his voice.

Alex could not reply, responding only with a violent, blood spattered cough. The captor drove the point of his foot into Alex's stomach, causing him to yell again in pain.

"You gave me an excuse to correct your behavior. And like I said, I'm glad to take." The captor leaned over and picked up the control panel, frowning. "Trying to force the cuffs open, eh? I'd say A for effort, but frankly, you could have done a better job."

Alex looked up at him and croaked out a hoarse "Fuck you". The captor responded by slamming his fist into his cheek, causing darkness to creep from the corners of Alex's vision.

"No! Please don't hurt him!" Pyra cried out as she ran towards Alex. The captor responded by pushing her away, making her fall to her knees, tears in her eyes.

"You better watch that tongue of yours, nerd-boy. Or else Delaine will cut it out." The captor growled, At that moment, three other men wearing leather jackets, spiked gloves, and carrying stun batons entered through a side door. One of the men inspected Pyra, taking note of the patch of blood on her forehead.

"Hey" the man responded "You didn't hurt her too bad, right? Delaine wants her in one piece."

"Relax. I wouldn't ever bother trying to mess with Delaine's prize. And besides…" The captor looked down on Alex with a mix of annoyance and mild anger. "It's nerd-boy here who deserves a beating."

"Alright then. Just don't hurt him too bad." The man replied. He motioned to the two other men, who walked towards Alex. One man held him down, while another injected a syringe into his neck. Alex struggled as he felt his vision beginning to fade. The captor kneeled down and spoke to Alex, smiling in a sort of reassuring but taunting way.

"Don't worry about your friend, son. I'm sure she'll have no problem cracking planets for Delaine. Hell, if she did it before, she can sure as hell do it again."

 **Well, that was one hell of a way to end it. I'm mainly worried that this ending seems too violent, but that might just be me. Either way, I think I'll end up changing the rating to Mature because of this. If you have any opinions about this story, or any advice to give me, feel free to post a Review. As a novice writer, I rely a lot on your opinions to improve my writing.**

 **Also, I know that the delay between the previous chapter and this one has been rather long, so I will be posting two short stories for you to read as I write the next chapter. The first story I plan to publish will be about the rescue attempt to save CMDR Deluvian Reyes Cruz from the edge of the galaxy (You may have heard of it before.)**

 **Well, I'll go ahead and start planning out the next chapter. Until then, I hope to see you in the next chapter. See ya :)**

 **-Cubic**


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